The Star of the Kings: a Night Piece

c. 1651

Rembrandt van Rijn

Associated Names
Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

This is a drawing of a candlelit scene in a dark interior with a prominent star. The image is composed of intricate line work and shading, depicting a group gathered closely around a table, illuminated by a single bright light source which appears to be a star or candle. The use of contrast between the dark background and the light foreground emphasizes the centered illumination. This is in the style of Rembrandt, characterized by the play of light and shadow and the texture achieved through etching techniques. The figure arrangements and their interplay with the light contribute to the mysterious and contemplative mood of the scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, with a few touches of drypoint

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 9.8 x 14.7 cm (3 7/8 x 5 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.7220

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    White/Boon 1969, no. 113, State only

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing Julius Rosenwald (Lugt 1760b); given to the National Gallery of Art 1943

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1930

  • Prints and Drawings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) from the Collections of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, 1930

  • Rembrandt Etchings: Lent by Mr. Lessing J. Rosenwald, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 1930.

1932

  • Etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) from the Collections of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Art Galleries, Washington, D.C., 1932.

1961

  • University of Notre Dame Art Gallery, South Bend, IN, 1961.

1996

  • Scenes of Daily Life: Genre Prints from the Housebook Master to Rembrandt van Rijn, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1996.

2006

  • Strokes of Genius: Rembrandt's Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Bibliography

1923

  • Hind, Arthur M. A Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1923.

1969

  • White, Christopher and Karel G. Boon. Rembrandt's Etchings. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Van Gendt & Co., 1969.

1993

  • The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700. Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1993: no. 263, i/iv.

Wikidata ID

Q65024781

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